Spare
by halfpipez
Summary: There's some things that Shark has to learn about Yuma, and Kotori's all too willing to teach him about her quirky childhood friend. That includes learning to put up with Yuma's tardiness.
1. Late

**_Author's Note: Hey guys, back with a new ZEXAL story! This time it's not a one-shot, but a collection of connected one-shots._**

**_Hope you guys will like it enough to stick with it! Kind of a crack pairing because Kotori and Shark have virtually no interaction or screen-time together unless Yuma's dueling Shark, but I'm making it work and I planned it out so hopefully it'll pan out into something believable :)_**

* * *

Kotori frowned as she checked her watch. Yuma was fifteen minutes late to their shopping trip. She blew her fringe out of her face as she recrossed her legs and folded her arms, all in a huff.

"He has no respect for time, I swear," she muttered to herself. "And he'll probably blame it all on Astral too…"

She shrugged to herself, tugging at the ends of her skirt as it inched its way up her thigh with the slight breeze. It was a lovely sunny, clear day and if she was going to spend it waiting, then the least she could do was enjoy the warm weather. After all, he'd left her hanging in worse conditions (like the sudden flash thunderstorm at the monorail terminal when they had planned to hit a new indoor dueling park). So she smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the sunshine and the cool breeze that made her hair tickle the back of her neck and-

"Kotori?"

That was too deep to be Yuma's voice. Her eyes opened, readjusting to the afternoon sun. "Hey, uh, Shark," she said, surprised to see the older duelist. "What are you doing at the mall?"

"Waiting for Yuma, but it looks like he forgot," he said, crashing down on the bench next to her. "It's been nearly twenty minutes."

"Really? He was supposed to meet me too! Looks like he double-booked us and forgot us both," she said, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance. "Yuma…" she groaned. "So, what were you meeting him for?"

"Nothing special."

"You sure? With Yuma it's normally a duel or something, right?"

"I guess so."

"I was supposed to meet him to go shopping for something to wear for the WDC Eve," Kotori told him. "He's never had a reason to attend something fancy before, and his sister Akari trusts me to not make him look like a total fool."

"Cool."

"I'm so glad the nice weather's keeping up! The tournament might have had to be postponed if a storm came through, especially since the entire city was used as dueling grounds for the preliminaries," Kotori said cheerfully. "I bet Yuma's too busy enjoying it to realize that he's forgotten about us."

"Mhm."

Kotori turned to face him more fully, folding her legs underneath her and resting her arm on the back of the bench as she frowned. "Hey Shark, you seem super distracted, anything I can help with?"

Shark had been looking up at the sky, eyes unfocused until she had addressed him directly. His eyes slid over to watch her. "Nothing's wrong, if that's what you're asking. I just figured that since he was so adamant on this friendship, he might make a little more effort to be on time," he tried as a joke.

Kotori lightened up a little, but she still caught the hint of seriousness there was before his rough, short, and awkward laugh. "He does want you around, Shark, there's no doubt about that," she said, trying to ease his worries. "He's just terrible with timing. He's late to school so much that the secretary knows his name backwards and in three other languages," she explained jokingly, a fond smile playing on her lips. "He's completely incorrigible, but when he finally does get here with his excuses of traffic and not being able to find his wallet and having to stop by the bakery to get his late breakfast, he'll make sure that you're the focus even if he's being self-righteous or big-headed about the entire thing. It's just how he works. So don't worry too much, alright?"

She saw his shoulders relax a little, his stiff demeanor caving into a slouched one. "Alright, I'll take your word for it," he said. "But that doesn't mean I'm not gonna rip him apart when he finally gets here."

"That's the plan!" Kotori agreed, laughing along.


	2. Absent

**_Author's Note: Yes, I'm pretty much making the two bond over their one common thread, which is Yuma.  
_**

* * *

"Where's Yuma?"

Kotori jumped when she closed her locker, only to reveal Shark leaning against the one beside hers, an irritated look on his face.

"Uh, hey Shark?" Kotori fumbled with he bag before slinging it across her shoulders. "He's sick, actually," she said when she had composed herself again. "Been sick ever since we got back from the WDC Eve. He thinks he ate something bad and got food poisoning, but I think it's just nerves for the tournament," she explained.

They began walking outside, toward the gates of the school, at a leisurely pace.

"Nerves?" he asked, seemingly surprised.

"Yeah. He may act all confident, but he's really not. He's been messaging me all day about card strategies, if you want proof."

"So he's not just-"

"He's not avoiding you, if that's what you're thinking," Kotori reassured him. "I may have seen you leave early, but every duelist in the finals has something on their mind and their own problems too, so I didn't tell him you left. He's not resentful that you didn't search him out." She smiled as she added, "He thought you were pretty elusive, actually."

"I try." Shark shrugged.

"So why'd you leave, if you don't mind me asking?" Kotori inquired, cocking her head to look at him as his face darkened.

"Not my kind of crowd," he said evasively. "Didn't like the food either. Glad I didn't stay if Yuma's telling the truth."

"Trust me, he's not. He's a terrible liar. Transparent, really."

"Are you a good one?"

"Better than him, but I think honesty is the best policy when it comes to having each other's backs, and I don't really hate you enough to bother with the effort of making up an intricate lie," she said slyly, seeing right through the intent of his question. "Don't underestimate me, Shark, I know what you're trying to imply." Kotori shoved him playfully.

He reflexively rubbed his arm where she hit and frowned. "I'm not worr-"

"You totally are. Who's lying now, Shark?" She grinned.

He sighed. "Alright fine, you've made your point," he said finally as they crossed the threshold of the school gates. "Just make sure Yuma's here tomorrow."

"Sure thing!"


	3. Spectator

Yuma wasn't there the next day, so Kotori found herself alone once again during Duel Period. Everyone's competitive side got the best of them and they immediately went off to find some poor soul to duel, which left Kotori sitting alone on the bleachers, her D-Gazer clipped around her ear as she watched the action around her unfold. She had thought about getting a deck before and learning to duel, but it seemed expensive and her eyes had already been set on a cute pair of boots and this really snazzy high-tech netbook. Getting a deck wasn't exactly high up on her priority list.

"So, you really don't duel." Shark commented, sneaking up behind her.

She jumped, turning around. "You need to stop doing that…" Kotori moaned as she looked up, shielding her eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun. "But no, if you must know. I don't."

"Why not?" he inquired, sitting down next to her on the plastic and metal bleachers. "It's kind of a lifestyle here, don't you think you're missing out?"

"Look at you, talking more than usual," she teased. "But no, I don't feel like I'm missing out or like there's a void in my life that needs to be filled with cards. I'm happy with what I've already got."

"Friends who duel while you cheer on the sidelines?"

Oh. Well it kinda hurt when he put it like that. Kotori's cheeks puffed out in annoyance, much like Yuma's did, Shark noted. "I do tons of stuff on the sidelines, thanks."

"Like what?"

"Slap sense into Yuma when he's being a moron… encourage him when he's going to give up-"

"Give up? Since when does Yuma give up?"

Kotori frowned at the memory, of Yuma's dead eyes and weak voice and trembling limbs. "You… don't want to know," she said, nervously nudging her feet against the seat in front of hers. "It wasn't exactly a good day for him," she ended evasively. "So, how's your training going for the tournament?"

"Well enough. I'm taking a break, since no student here is worth my energy."

"Because none of them are finalists?"

"Because all of them are green," he corrected. "Like you'll be when I get around to teaching you how to duel."

"Wha-"

"I'm gonna buy you a starter kit. You can't just sit around and do nothing in Duel Period."

"Hey, I do lots of stuff during Duel Period!" she argued, standing up with her fists at her sides.

"Like?" he asked coolly.

She pouted. "Homework and studying and-"

"Cheering Yuma on?" He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her reaction.

She frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "Yeah, but that's not the point!"

Shark sighed. "It seems like you never have any fun. You can't always be a support beam, Kotori."

Her fists unclenched, brow unfurling, and she stared at him. "What?"

"You can't always support him," he repeated. "You know how the school system works. We're going to graduate and depending on our grades, we all go to different tiered schools. You're smart, Kotori. You're going to be splitting away from him soon. And it's almost like you never have any fun."

"Says Mister Serious," she shot back. "And I have fun! I go shopping and I do other things. There's lots of other hobbies than dueling, and just because I like them a little better, doesn't mean I don't have fun!"

"You'll have to show me some time, because I don't believe you." He reclined back into the seat and arms folded in his lap.

"Alright fine, why don't you come and watch me buy myself a new netbook on Friday, right before the tournament on Saturday. See me in action, or whatever… you know, 'in my element,' shopping for tech. Unless you're training?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Was he really so interested in her life?

"Sure, mall, noon?"

"Fine. I'll see you then!" Kotori marched off, down the bleachers and back into the school.

Shark stared after her. How did she hang around with a group of duelists and have no interest in it herself? "You're so weird, Kotori…" he mumbled to himself as he clipped his D-Gazer over his ear and decided to try being a spectator like she always was.

* * *

**Author's Note: Here's where they start branching off. They can't talk about Yuma forever, amirite?  
**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review if you wish :)  
**


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